Life in the Fast Lane
by LadyGambit
Summary: Dan always told him: "Life is to short. Live in the moment. Always cherish what you treasure the most." Nathan thought it was all about racing. With his fast paced life, will he realize what he loves the most, and hold on to, or lose it all in a second?
1. Prologue: Wait, What?

Life in the Fast Lane

Prologue: Wait, What?

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the One Tree Hill Characters or anything form The Fast and the Furious. All I own is my idea to merge the two and my unique new twist to the story.

A/N: Hello everyone. This is the re-vamped prologue of Life in the fast Lane, formally known as Ten Second Heart. Even if you have read Ten Second Heart, all the chapters will have more details now, and are a bit longer each. Please let me know what you guys think of the new prologue, either through PM or review. Thanks and enjoy the story. Also check out my profile for more details.

_This is loosely based on Fast and the Furious, and if anyone and anytime has any questions on why I choose the characters I will answer that. All reviews are welcomed. I will follow some of the events that went on in the movie but I have a lot of extra stuff. I do not promise a happy ending though._

Summary: In the fast paced life of Los Angeles and street racing, will Nathan find time to hold on to love or will he let it slip through his fingers? Will Haley find her proper place and achieve her dreams? Or are they forever doomed to live a half-life in the fast lane?

Life in the fast lane  
Surely make you lose your mind, mm  
Are you with me so far?

- The Eagles

_August 1992 _

_Los Angeles, California_

Sweat clung to the side of Nathan's face as he stood under the hood of his car, trying to figure out what the problem was. His jet black hair fell in front of his eyes, the long strands clumping together with the building moisture, irritating his dark, blue eyes. Taking the dirty rag that lay on the edge of the car and wiping his forehead for the millionth time that day, he felt the dirt that clung on to the towel mix with the sweat on his forehead and decided that he would need to use something else to fix his problem. The 14-year-old teenager grew frustrated as he continued to look into the car, his eyes straining as he overlooked the parts carefully. He had fixed everything that could possibly be wrong with the car and it still would not start without releasing a huge puff of black smoke out of the exhaust. He slammed the monkey wrench down, causing the metal tool to bounce loudly off of the hot paved surface and threw his hands up in defeat. The knowledge that his father would not let him work in the garage if he did not fix this car certainly did not help the look of defeat that had now fallen upon his face or make the task at hand any simpler.

"Have you checked the muffler?"

Turning around quickly he saw someone standing at the open entrance of the garage, wearing baggy cargo pants and a black hoodie, shadows from the hood covering their face. Taking in his appearance, and what Nathan assumed to be his physical stature, the person at the door looked to be a boy of ten. Having spent the past few moments trying to figure out whom exactly this boy was, Nathan startled when the stranger spoke again.

"So have you?"

Nathan looked at him questioningly, having already forgotten what the boy had asked him.

"What?" Nathan asked, hoping the boy would repeat himself.

Instead of answering him, the hooded boy surprised Nathan when, after letting out an exasperated sigh, walked over to him, grabbed some tools from the box that sat by Nathan's feet and slid under the car. The boy came out a while later, dropping the tools at Nathan's feet, and walked out not saying a word.

Surprised at the kid's audacity, Nathan decided to test the car, just to prove the strange boy wrong. His mouth fell open in surprise as the car finally came to life with a great big roar from the engine. Nathan banged his head on the wheel in frustration; the loud horn of the car joined his own voice in a sound of defeat.

Brooke whipped around as she turned up the dial of the fan behind her, in an effort to relieve her body of the blistering summer heat. The sun shone brightly down on her, and, even though the other parts of her room were encompassed by shadows, and definitely cooler than her current position, she just couldn't seem to move. As the brunette knelt on her wooden desk chair, she put her face outside the open window. Excitement filled her body as she continued to watch the yellow moving van parked in front of the house next door.

Her eyes strained, looking out for any signs of dolls, dresses - anything that would indicate that there was a girl moving in next door, someone who she could hang out with. She was tired of her brother and his friends bossing her around and refusing to pay attention to her. Sure, she loved her brother to death, but sometimes she could not take him and his over-inflated ego.

As Brooke continued to look at the contents being taken out of the moving van, she could not help but notice that not only was there no girly stuff being moved in, but instead it seemed she would be getting another car-obsessed boy as a neighbor. Sighing, her hope flooding down the drain as she began to move away from the window, something caught her eye forcing her to stay and continue watching. The woman, who previously had been directing the movers, was now screaming to a boy who seemed to come from the direction of her garage. The roar of a car followed by the wailing of a horn drowned out the voice of the woman, but from what Brooke could see the woman appeared to be worried, and perhaps angry at the boy. The boy went up to the women pointing, pointing towards Brooke's house, and Brooke took notice as a look of relief washed over the woman's face. From the woman's actions, Brooke assumed that she might be the boy's mother or, at the very least, some type of relative.

Then the women reached behind the boys head and pulled down the hood, and Brooke gasped at what this action had just revealed. A full mane of golden brown hair was now blowing in the wind. Jumping off of her chair she ran downstairs, the possibility of a new friend was her only fuel and motivation.

As an exasperated Brooke fought to catch her breath, she managed to excitedly spit out an introduction. "Hi, I'm Brooke! Are you moving in next door?"

Haley scowled as she re-adjusted the box in her hand. She had been caught off-guard by the girl's sudden presence and in turn, had almost dropped the box in the process. As she contemplated whether to acknowledge the girl or not, she felt the material of her hoodie start to stick to her skin, and realized that this was perhaps not most appropriate thing to be wearing at the moment. Haley, remembering the promise she had made to her teacher back at New York, and the promise her parents had made to her, decided that it wouldn't hurt at all to be polite to the girl. Carefully putting down the box that in her hands she took off her hoodie, before offering her hand to the girl.

"You're sooo pretty!"

"Thank you." Haley replied shyly, slightly thrown by the brazen attitude of the girl standing in front of her. The golden haired girl stood their quietly not knowing what else to say.

"So what's your name, and where'd you come from?"

Chuckling a little at the girl's excitement, Haley thought back to the girls at her old school that always degraded her because of the way she acted, and, while Brooke reminded her of those girls in they way she dressed, her personality showed Haley how different she was. Girls only showed slight interest in being her friend before they deemed her a tomboy, but to Haley, Brooke seemed to genuinely be interested in befriending her.

"Names Haley. I'm from the great city that never sleeps!" Haley said, imitating the overly confident New Yorkers that were always presented on the television shows.

"New York?"

"Mmhmm."

Haley watched as Brooke's eyes lit up in her confirmation that she was indeed from New York, and even though the young Californian soon came to find out that Haley in fact new nothing about the fashion scene in New York, Brooke still questioned her about life there. Even though Haley knew she should continue helping her mother unpack the rest of the boxes, she chose to instead sit on the hot cement driveway, laughing as an animated Brooke explained to her the highs and lows of living in California.

Nathan wiped his worn sneakers on the faded "Welcome Home" mat, and opened first the wooden door, then followed by the screen door before stepping into the brightly lit kitchen. As soon as he walked into the kitchen, he noticed that his sister was rummaging through the refrigerator. Looking to have a little fun, Nathan quietly snuck up behind her.

"BOO!" the raven haired boy screamed, while simultaneously poking Brooke on the sides. Nathan started laughing hysterically as a surprised Brooke jumped up shrieking, in the process dropping the plastic bag of sliced bread and the bag of tomatoes. The tomatoes rolled around the dull white tiles, while all the pieces of sliced bread stayed in the bag. Nathan was so busy laughing that he didn't notice Brooke recovering from shock and hitting him on the shoulder.

"What was that for?" Nathan asked as he rubbed the spot where his sister had just hit him. He watched as Brooke moved around the kitchen, picking up the ripe red tomatoes from the kitchen floor and closed the door to the pale green refrigerator. Nathan knew that from the way Brooke was loudly chopping the lettuce that she was mad, and nothing was worse than his angry sister.

"Look, Brooke, I'm sorry. How about I make it up to you by going over with you to meet the new neighbors? Heard they've got a kid your age."

Nathan watched as Brooke put down the chopping knife and turned towards him. Nathan noted the smile on his sister's face and immediately thought that he was forgiven.

"Already met them. Gonna have to come up with something better than that, big brother."

Nathan then made the connection as Brooke turned her back to him and went back to preparing her sandwich. His sister would only be smiling that brightly when she was really happy. Nathan took the smile to mean that she had a crush on the neighbors' son. With that in mind, he decided to have a little more fun his little sister.

"Should I book the church, Brookie?"

"Huh?" She turned slowly and looked at him as if he had grown a second head. Nathan laughed to himself, knowing the fact that Brooke hated it when her crushes were obvious and would do anything possible to hide them.

"Lil' sis, hate to break it to ya, but it is so obvious."

He watched as she stopped preparing her sandwiches and turned around once more to face him, confusion etched on her face.

"Nate, I don't know what you're talking about!"

"The neighbors' son. Don't worry, I approve, kid knows his cars. Helped me out with dad's car this morning." Nathan elaborated, hoping that his sister would just admit it. What happened next was not what Nathan had been expecting at all. It was his turn to bare a look of confusion as Brooke started laughing. When she had finally settled down a bit, she looked at Nathan.

"Nate, I don't have a crush on her! That would be gross." Brooke said to him, laughing a little bit more after she finished. Nathan was about to ask her what exactly would be gross about liking the neighbor's son, who he would prefer over one of his older friends whom she seemed to always have a crush on, as her words hit him, she had she 'her'. He suddenly did not feel to well.

"Wait, did you just say HER?" He must of heard wrong.

"Yep. Her as in a girl."

Nathan watched as his sister continued to laugh, quite likely at the expression on his face.

'_The impossible has happened,' _Nathan thought to himself, _'a girl beat me mechanics!'_

_August 1992_

_Brooklyn, New York_

_The blood poured through his finger as he held his father in his arms. He screamed, his wails heard over the sirens of the police cars and he looked over at his mother who looked like a ghost, her face void of all colors and emotions as she looked on to him. He heard the cops say that it was a couple of teenage bandits who were looking for a quick getaway and had stolen his father's car. He swore revenge on his father's name as he let go of his father and the rain-washed away the blood from his hands. _


	2. Chapter One: Stronger

Life in the Fast Lane

Chapter One: Stronger

A/N: This should have been up on Wednesday, but I was having problems with my internet. The next chapter will be up on this upcoming Wednesday as promised. Hope you guys enjoy the new and improved chapters. If you reviewed before, but have some questions, comments or concerns, then just send me a PM. By the way, this chapter is set two years after the Prologue.

_**Disclaimer: Don't own anything but a chicken wing and my laptop. Wait just the chicken wing's bone. Stronger is a song by Kanye West.**_

_**  
**__TSH TSH TSH TSH TSH TSH TSH TSH TSH_

_**June 1994**_

_**Los Angeles, California**_

_**N- n- now th- that don't kill me  
Can only make me stronger  
I need you to hurry up now  
Cause I can't wait much longer**_

Nathan looked at the car before him and glee filled his body. One and a half years of hard work had proven to be successful. His baby, a Mazda RX-7 FD that had been in a damaged in a car crash by some rich spoiled brat, now stood before him, the fresh coat of red paint gleaming in the sunlight. The custom body that his father and uncle had made for him gave the car the tough appeal that Nathan had always associated with his dream car. Fresh from having just received his license, his hands were itching to go for a spin. He ran his right hand over the head of the white wolf, bearing all of its teeth, displayed on the side of the car, proud that his girl had done such a good job on it. Opening the driver's door and jumping in, he turned the key in the ignition. The car quickly roared to life as Nathan quickly put the car into gear and stepped on the gas, burning rubber as he raced down the street.

_TSH TSH TSH TSH TSH TSH TSH TSH TSH_

Haley wiped the sweat off of her face as she wheeled out from underneath the car. Sitting up wiping her hands on her baggy fatigue pants and cleaning her tools off on her white tank top, she looked around the empty garage and noticed a shadow pass by the small tinted glass window of the dark wooden door which led to Dan's office. Feeling very proud of the good work she had done on the car, Haley decided to go over and share of her accomplishment with Dan. She had never been happier in her life, than when she was at the garage. Although Nathan and Tim, who had been friends since the 3rd grade, always teased her for acting like more of a tomboy than a girl, and even though she was not actually allowed to work on any cars but the certified "dummy" car, the garage was still a place in which she felt at peace.

The petite blonde hated it when people made comments to her about how they wished they had a family as large as hers, always assuming that she had no idea what it meant to be lonely. As the baby of the family, the typical stereotypes most people would associate with the title didn't seem to apply. Instead of being the spoiled one of the family, she was the forgotten one, the mistake. Her older sister, Taylor, was ten years older than her, and all her other brother and sisters were on their way out of the nest by the time she was six. It seemed that instead of looking after her and doting her, her parents resented her for ruining their idea to go off and travel the world. Her mother had her oldest sister when she was 16, her dad had been 18, and it seemed that the kids just kept coming, wanted or not.

Haley knew that they both regretted having her, that they both thought they were done after Taylor had been born. The resentment was visible from the start when both her father and mother had to take up second jobs to support the family. Shortly after Haley's first birthday, her mother broke down emotionally after realizing how far she had fallen from her dreams. Shortly after that breakdown, it was blatantly apparent to everyone that her mother had given up on taking care of her youngest child. This left her only sister, Taylor to take care of her, but being only 10 years older, that only lasted until Haley was six. At that point Taylor had decided that it was time to leave the nest and just disappeared one night, her only parting words to Haley were, "Good luck Kid!". Back in New York, Haley used school as her escape from the emptiness she felt inside. Her ability to pick things up quickly helped her become a teacher's favorite, giving her the feeling of being wanted and liked. It was in school that her love for cars had evolved, thanks a teacher she had met there.

His name was Mr. Hargrove and he had grown up in L.A., were his father owned a garage. Mr. Hargrove shared many stories with her about growing up in L.A., with a mechanic as father who doubled as a racing fanatic, and the long trips they would take on every weekend to watch the races at a track five hours away. After school, he would stay with her, waiting for one her parents to remember to pick her up. After a while, he began to teach her all he knew about cars, using the school's forgotten mechanic shop. During their sessions Haley began to confess about how she felt at home. Mr. Hargrove sympathized with her and started treating her like family.

The next thing she knew, her parents where talking about a new beginning and she felt happy and hopeful for once. Assuming things would improve, had been her mistake her biggest mistake to date. Things were good at first, with the extra money that her father's new job was bringing in, her mother was finally able to find a job that she liked and wasn't forced to work just to have extra money coming in. Haley remembered watching her mother as she would go on about how she felt more accomplished than she ever had in the past. Haley would hear her father rejoicing at her change of demeanor, that she had returned to that girl with a nothing-will-go wrong and nothing-will-bring me down attitude, the girl he had fallen in love with. Her mother didn't even bring up the topic that her little girl enjoyed cars more than dolls, something that had been a great topic of discussion before. But six months after they moved everything changed for the worse.

Her fathers had been known for his temper, not towards his family but instead directed at those who he felt were insulting him, or anything he stood for. One day, while filing some paper work at his job, her overheard one of his co-workers talking about his mother and all the things he wished he could do to her. Her father lost it apparently and stalked over to the guy and punched him in the face. The other man retaliated which resulted in a fight in which her father lost his job. This set off a chain of events which ranged from bad to worse. Her mother had to give up her dream job and get two higher paying jobs, making her stressed and all around temperamental. Her father started drinking once he realized that he wouldn't be able to get another job because of the bad reference that his last employer had put out in the system. This only worked to further infuriate her mother, and being as Haley was the only child left in the home, her mother lashed out on her. She soon then started to beat Haley, and always screamed at her for not being girly enough, for trying to be a boy. Stating she had enough boys and asking what was wrong with her. Her father was always to oblivious in his drunken state by the time that her mother got home and beat her to keep his daughter safe leaving Haley to seek refuge elsewhere. That was when Haley started hanging out in the Scotts household. Once Dan had discovered Haley's talent with cars, he allowed her to work on the "dummy" car in the garage, giving her a chance for her to hone her skills and a chance to practice something she truly enjoyed and had a passion for. Haley finally felt like she was part of a family, the brothers that teased her, and the sister that always wanted to talk with her, even though recently all Brooke wanted to talk about was boys.

As Haley got closer, she realized that Dan was screaming at someone on the telephone. She was about to turn around, not wanting to eavesdrop on Dan's conversation, when she heard her name creep from under the crack between the door and the floor. Curiosity getting the better of her, she kneeled down, placing her ear as near as she could get to the crack, being careful not to breathe in the dust on the floor.

"No I don't have a problem with taking care of her, but that is beside the point… The damn point is that she needs her fucking parents, she too young for this…. Yes, I understand that much, but I have feeling I won't be seeing you guys around anymore...Of course I fucking doubt you'll be coming back! ... Why? _Wh_y? 'Cause you have been trying to get rid of her since the second you lost your job and she became a burden. …How could anyone not notice that!… Don't you fucking dare hang up on me, dammit!"

Haley heard the phone slammed down as Dan let out a stream of curses, coming to the realization that her parents had indeed hung up on him. Haley felt the hot tears start to build up in her eyes and then roll down her face, leaving streaks among the dirt which had accumulated onto her face. The young girl always knew that they never really wanted her, but at least they still provided a roof over her head and food for her stomach which allowed her the room to pretend that in their own way they truly loved her and cared for her. They had basically just thrown her to the curb without really saying goodbye and that fact took away from the shaky ground she stood on and sent her tumbling down into the abyss of despair and rejection. All the thoughts that cluttered her head created a pounding sensation and the possibility that Dan might not want her either sent a chill through her body. Haley stood abruptly and ran blindly out the garage, tears clouding her vision. She had no idea as to where she was going, the only thoughts running through her mind was that she had to get away fast.

_TSH TSH TSH TSH TSH TSH TSH TSH TSH_

Watching the sun set off in the distance, it's reflection and orange dusk hue breaking the peacefulness of the blue ocean, Haley dug her toes deeper into the sand, hoping it would turn into quicksand and swallow her. Sighing she tried to figure out why this bothered her so much.

_Because they are your parents and they are suppose to love you. But who could love you? You're nothing but a tag-along geeky tomboy poser._

Haley shook her head trying to rid herself of the thoughts that where flying at her all at once, attacking her mind, the insults along with everything else that had ever been spoken to her throughout the years hitting her all at once. She fought hard to not cry again, but she lost it, and broke down, worse than ever before.

She did not stop crying until she heard a voice over her, startling her causing her jump up and fall to her side.

"You all right there?"

She looked up, trying in vain to hide the tear marks from the person who had broken into her personal space, her own little world. Realizing it was the new kid from her shop class and soon after that she had also seen him over at the garage a couple of times. This probably meant that he had become some what friends with Nathan and Tim. She could not quite remember his name now, but then she remembered his question and shook her head in response, not wanting to explain herself to a stranger.

"You're Haley, right? I've seen you around the garage and at Nathan's."

Haley nodded her head in response. She did not feel like talking at the moment but she also did not want to seem rude, it wasn't in her nature. Haley looked onto the boy's eyes and from his expression could tell that he was waiting for more of an answer

Then she was willing to give at the moment. As he waited, he plopped down onto the sand, blanketing her in a thin layer of the grainy substance, beginning to come to the conclusion that he wasn't going to get much from her.

"Names Jake. Since you don't want to talk to about whatever is upsetting you. Since I'm not one to pry, why don't we just talk? Then when you are ready to head back, I can walk you back to the Scotts', they have been looking for you all day."

Haley smiled for the first time since she heard the phone conversation, glad that he hadn't pressured her to talk about it, something she knew she would have to do if she went back. Sitting there with him reminded her of the day she meet Brooke, two years ago. For some unexplainable reason she felt comfortable and relaxed with Jake. Not to mention, that in some strange way he had helped her forget all the terrible feelings that had overpowered the longer they sat on the beach. Once the streets were no longer illuminated by the last golden glows of the setting sun, and the flickering street light took its place, Haley decided than even though she wasn't ready to confront the Scott's, it was time to go home, her new home.

_TSH TSH TSH TSH TSH TSH TSH TSH TSH_

Nathan drove up to his home and parked out front on the street. The rush of driving had him on a high and he knew nothing could take that feeling away. As he stepped out of his car, he noticed that Brooke was standing at window looking out into the street, her cheeks tear stained. Nathan broke into a run, hoping that nothing had happened and it was just something silly that Brooke was crying about. As he walked through the front door he ran to the crying Brooke and pulled her into an embrace. Brooke instantly threw herself into his arm, hugging him tightly, crying even harder.

"What's wrong, Brooke?"

Brooke mumbled something into his shirt, her sobs making it impossible for him to understand what she was saying. He gently pulled himself out her grasp and pulled her chin up so that she was looking at him straight in the face.

"Brooke, calm down for a second and tell me what happened."

After a few minutes, Brooke stopped sobbing and started speaking.

"She's gone!"

"Who is?"

"Haley!"

"What?"

Brooke broke out into another stream of tears, and it took Nathan another 5 minutes before he could clam her down enough for him to be able to understand her. Once she calmed down, she took in a long, deep breath before starting to speak again.

"Dad said that he was talking to her Dad, who's off looking for her mother, who ran away this morning, and he thinks she over heard him and ran away! Now they can't find her. And there was this hit and run, and Dad went with Tim to go see if it was her. I'm so scared Nate!"

Nathan stood there and automatically enveloped his sister in his arms and tried to soothe her as all the information started to hit him. He really hoped that it wasn't Haley and that she was all right somewhere. No one deserved to be deserted like that by their parents. After a few minutes, he heard the phone ring and went to pick it up, hoping it was someone with good news.

"Hello."

"Hi, is this Nathan?"

"Yes, who is this?" Nathan answered impatiently. He did not recognize the voice and knew that it could be either one for two things. Either this person was calling about a subject other than Haley or Haley had been in some sort of accident. He prayed to God it was not the latter of the two.

"It's Amanda, from school, you know Kelly's friend. I was wondering if Tim was there, it's kind of important."

"He isn't here right not, I'll tell him you called. Bye."

Nathan hung up, knowing that he should feel somewhat bad for acting so rude towards the girl, but not actually caring. They were in a crisis here, and had to keep the lines open for important phone calls, instead of stupid phone calls, involving stupid high school love lives. As he put the phone down, he heard Brooke scream, and ran over to her. Outside their home, illuminated by the street lamps, was Haley, waving goodbye, to someone whose back was turned to them. He watched as Brooke ran out and went to hug Haley, who just stood there, neither returning the hug nor rejecting it. It was a side of her he had only seen when she was on the defensive, not wanting anyone to see the hurt she kept inside.

He looked on as he saw this new Haley inform his sister that she was tired and was going to go sleep. He could tell that the iciness in her voice was not lost on Brooke, but also realized that Brooke knew that this was Haley's defense mechanism. _Hopefully it won't last long_ he thought to himself as he comforted Brooke, something he knew she wanted to do to her best friend.

_TSH TSH TSH TSH TSH TSH TSH TSH TSH_

_June 1994_

_New York, New York_

"_To become the best, you've got to think yourself the best." His father's words resonated in his head as pushed himself to keep running. Soon the gleaming sun, high in the sky, heated his tired muscles and he decided that it was time to rest. Speed was his adrenaline, revenge his motivation. He wouldn't stop until he was the best and he could catch those who ruined his life. After taking a swig of water, letting the cool liquid run down his dry throat, he got up again, his tired muscles ready for another round of torture._

_**I know I got to be right now  
Cause I cant get much wronger  
Man I've been waitin' all night now  
That's how long I've been on ya**_

_**I need you right now**_


	3. Chapter Two: Remember the Name

Life in the Fast Lane

Chapter 2: Remember the Name

A/N: As promised, I deliver the third real chapter of Life on the Fast Lane. I want to thank my beta-readers for working with me to fix up these chapters. I just realized that I had forgotten to mention and thank them in the last two chapters. I also want to thank the readers the reviewed, they were greatly appreciated. Also, to my old readers, you won't have to be looking at old material for to long, so hang in there. Thanks and enjoy the chapter. Also for those who are confused with the tidbits at the end, it will come together pretty soon, but send me any questions you have and I will answer them as soon as I can.

_**Disclaimer: Own nothing but my own two hands. My brain belongs to the Department of Education 'till I pay them back. Darn Government! Remember the Name belongs to Fort Minor, who just is really Mike having the need to call himself Fort Minor. It kind of makes me laugh.**_

_TSH TSH TSH TSH TSH TSH TSH TSH TSH TSH_

_**June 1994**_

_**Los Angeles, California**_

_**This is ten percent luck, twenty percent skill  
Fifteen percent concentrated power of will  
Five percent pleasure, fifty percent pain  
And a hundred percent reason to remember the name!  
**_

Nathan woke up to the sound of a scream, immediately knowing they were coming from Brooke. Without thinking, he quickly tried to scramble out of bed, soon regretting the decision as his vision blurred a little when he attempted to sit up in bed. Putting his left hand to his head and using his right hand to grip the bed stand, he attempted to stabilize himself. Panic soon rose through him as he heard Brooke's cries again.

On sheer instinct, forgetting about his blurred vision, Nathan jumped out of his bed, without thinking to put some clothes on. The feel of his feet hitting the cold floor was enough to wake him up as Brooke screamed again, the panic continued to overtake his body and Nathan bolted out of the room grabbing the wooden bat by his door on the way out. His mind processing that the screams seemed to have come from the main floor, Nathan quickly ran down the stairs taking two steps at a time and soon realized that the kitchen lights were on. Nathan entered the kitchen cautiously, the white light blinding him temporarily. He closed his eyes momentarily, and opened them slowly, helping them adjust to the light better. As soon as his eyes adjusted to the bright light, he noticed that Brooke was holding her hand over her mouth and looking towards a dark-haired girl, knife in hand –with a tinge of some red substance- in her hands, a collection of golden hair around her feet. It took Nathan a couple of seconds to recognize the face behind the hair.

"Haley?" Nathan asked, confused as to what was going on.

Haley just looked up at him, and without answering his question, she sprinted out the back door, the metal knife clamoring loudly to the ground. Going on pure instinct Nathan followed her out, bolting out the now open back door, reaching Haley before she reached the street. Nathan had managed to grab her right under the street light that stood between her old house and his house. Nathan turned her around to face him, and was finally able to get a good look at her. It seemed some of the hair dye had gotten on her forehead; the dark brown smudges now encompassed the surface of the tan skin. Under the yellow street light, her brown doe eyes began to glisten, and Nathan knew that she was going to start crying. .

He pulled her towards him, allowing her to cry for a moment and let out whatever she was dealing with. Soon her shoulders started to shake, and Nathan just held her tighter. After a while, Nathan felt her breathing even out a bit and gently pulled her away from him upon hearing her muffle something into his shirt.

"What did you say?" He didn't want to ask her to repeat herself, but he couldn't help her if he didn't know what the problem was.

"I said, I just wanted to stop looking like her." Haley said to him in a low voice.

"Like who?" He was thoroughly confused by this point.

"Like my mother." Haley spoke, saddened by the truth behind her words. A young girl was supposed to idolize her mother, look up to her. Nathan noticed that she had kept her head down, tugging the hem of her shirt, as if embarrassed by the whole situation. At first Nathan was confused by her statement, but after thinking about it for a moment he realized that she had meant it in reference to her new hair color. She had dyed it a dark shade of brown, something completely different to the color of her mother's hair. Not only that, but Haley seemed to have been in the middle of trying to chop of her long locks. The front portion of her newly dyed mane was much shorter than the rest and as the pieces clicked into place he understood that she probably had accidentally cut herself with the knife, since it seemed the top of ear was bleeding a little. Before Nathan could point this fact out, Haley pulled away from him abruptly.

"God, you must think I'm an idiot, well don't worry, I won't be crying anymore. I've got to get out of here."

Nathan decided that it was best to let Haley go, not that he had much of a choice, and she would do what she wanted anyway. The sun was creeping into the sky, the dark cover of the night changing into a pale blue, and the golden rays of the sun cutting through it. The sound of a car driving by broke him out of his reverie and he looked down at his current attire, and knew that he had not made a wise choice. Not only was he not exactly dressed to be running down the street after her, but he also knew that might end up only making the situation worse. He turned back around and headed inside, deciding to get ready for the work that awaited him at the garage.

_TSH TSH TSH TSH TSH TSH TSH TSH TSH TSH_

Taking a big bite out of his ham and cheese sandwich, Nathan took his seat on the sidewalk outside of the garage next to his friends; their bodies leaning against the outside wall. Nathan looked over to Tim, who was talking to the new kid that was working in the garage. He had talked to the kid earlier and had learned that even though his name was Marvin McFadden, he went by Mouth; a nickname given to him by his friends at his old school. Mouth had moved from San Francisco, after his mother decided that they should move back to Los Angles; wanting to be closer to friends and family because his father had recently joined the army and was away at training. Jake, who had introduced them all to Mouth three days ago, assured them that he was an amazing technician. When Nathan first saw the wiry pale kid, with mousy short brown hair and huge mouth, the boy's complexion and physique had Nathan thinking that he had never worked in a garage before. This morning however, he had been proved wrong; there was no denying that the kid was good, even if he was a little impulsive and jumpy.

The midday sun was high in the sky and creating quite the heat wave again today, soon Nathan began to feel the effects as the blaring rays of sun made him slightly drowsy. Nathan soon lost focus on Tim and Mouth's conversation and his mind began to wander before he realized that he still did not know where Haley had run off to. He also realized that Jake had not been by all morning even though Mouth said Jake had promised to be here for his first day. The raven haired boy finished his sandwich and got up to enter the garage when he noticed Jake's red beat up Nissan pull up. They had started to work on Jake's car two days ago, and had only had time to replace the windows and install the red tint to them. As soon as the car came to a stop Nathan noticed someone was coming out of the passenger side, it didn't take him long to figure out that someone was Haley.

He noted that Haley didn't seem too happy, as if the scowl she was currently sporting on her face didn't give it away, the fact that she had just slammed the passenger door did. Nathan watched her as she got closer to the garage. He noticed that she now had bangs, with a few strands of hair falling around the circumference of her face. The rest of her hair was held back in a ponytail. As Haley moved her head to the side, obviously trying to remove the bangs from in front of her face, he saw that Haley was sporting a nice little shiner on her right eye, and had a few cuts on her left cheek. If the scowl on her face was not enough, he noticed that Haley's eyes were full of pure hatred. As Haley passed by him, Nathan grabbed her and brought her up for closer inspection.

"What the hell happened to you?"

"None of your business now leave me alone!" Haley spoke with fury as she tore her hand out of his grip. Nathan looked over at Jake, who just shook his head and went in after her. Nathan looked down at Mouth and Tim, motioning for them to get back to work, not letting that little incident get to him.

_TSH TSH TSH TSH TSH TSH TSH TSH TSH TSH_

Later that day, as Nathan put the finishing touches on his car, his ears perked up as he heard Mouth talking about some underground street races and from what he had managed to over hear, there was one going on tonight. The seemingly most important detail that grabbed Nathan's attention was that it also happened to be the annual amateur week, for racers 16-18. This meant that they would do the races at the track, and those racers who won would be allowed to race at the daily street races. Knowing this would be the only time to test out his car, since his father wouldn't allow him to race at the track, he cut into the conversation.

"When and where?" Nathan asked as he rolled out from under the car and walked over to the stainless steel sink, pumping some liquid soup onto his hand. The orange, fragrance soon hit his nostrils and the grainy texture in the soap made it easier for him to clean off the oil and grime from his hands.

"It's tonight at eleven by the old race track near the docks. They cut the entrance fee by half but it's still a pretty dime, so it is usually rich kids racing their daddy's Bentley. I suspect that you'll show them riches what home grown can do!"

Nathan laughed at Mouth because of both his excitement and use of the term 'home-grown'. It was an old term referring to cars built up from scratch rather than bought. For someone who seemed to know so much about street races and how they ran, it was an antiquated term to use. Looking at the rest of the guys, who were all waiting for a confirmation that he would in fact be participating, Nathan answered with a quick, "We'll see," and walked away from the crew.

Walking over to his car, he hoped that something would come to him to fix his problem. Earlier that day, Mouth had looked over his car, amazed at the work Nathan had done, but there was something that was missing. According to Nathan, on its own, his car could probably smoke a lot of the competition. But a lot of the rich kids that went to these races had one thing that put them over the edge, Nitrous. Nathan tried calculating in his head the amount it would take to get both the Nitrous tanks and pay the buy-in cost. Not only did he not have that kind of money, but he also doubted his father would give up that kind of cash, especially with them having another mouth to feed, and it being kind of a dry spell around the garage. He sighed, deciding it wouldn't even be worth it at the moment, no matter how much he wanted to and shook his head.

"I'd love to, but I can't. Don't really have that kind of cash on me right now. God only knows I wish I did."

Mouth gave him a knowing look before turning around, but before he walked off they heard a rattle and turned around to see what the source of the noise had been. Nathan watched as Haley emerged from the corner of the garage and didn't know whether to be angry with her for listening in on the boys' conversation or because she had been ignoring him all day. He had no time to dwell on the subject as Haley walked straight up to him, a black book bag hanging from one shoulder, her darker locks, no longer held back in a ponytail and completely framing her face. When she was finally in front of him, she stood up straight and looked him in the eye.

"Do you know you will win?"

Nathan was confused at first, not entirely sure what she was referring to at first. He then realized that she was talking about the race, but was still confused as to what that had to do with anything. From the stern look on her face, Nathan knew he had to answer her soon.

"That's not the problem." Nathan answered her the best way he could.

"That wasn't my question."

"If I had the money, yes, of course I would." Nathan rolled his eyes, knowing that this conversation was going no where. What was the point in thinking about what could have happened, if the possibilities were no where near possible. Nathan watched as Haley pulled the book bag in front of her and start to rummage through it. After a minute or two, her hand emerged with ten hundred dollar bills and stuffed them into her hand. Nathan was completely confused as to where this money had come from, and as soon as he opened his mouth to ask the question, Haley spoke up again.

"I stole it back from my dad. I think its part of what my grandfather left me. The rest I know is in a bank somewhere. I guess this is the reason they kept me around. Call it an investment, so you have to accept it." Haley face was extremely stern, as if telling him there was no way he could force her to take it back. He thanked her with a hug, with only one thought crossing through his mind at the moment.

"I guess I have to win tonight!"

_TSH TSH TSH TSH TSH TSH TSH TSH TSH TSH_

Haley sat on the hood of Mouth's car, her jean clad legs stretched out in front of her, her idle fingers playing with the hem of black tank top. They had decided to go in Mouth's car since it was the nicest of the crew – except for Nathan's that is. She smiled as she thought back to the ride over here. Nathan had allowed her to ride with him over to races, after lying to Dan about going to the movies. He had held her hand all the way there, saying that she was his good luck charm, and Haley had loved every second of it. She was glad that she had given him the money for the race, the knowledge that it had been used to pay for something that made Nathan happy instead of fueling her parents' addictions. She blushed as she remembered how sad she felt when he let her hand go as soon as they arrived. Now she waited with the rest of the crew as the race-coordinator from the regular street races announced the rules. From what Mouth had told them, there was a much bigger turnout than they had expected, there was going to be three heats, five cars per heat, and the winners from each heat facing off in the final race.

Haley watched as Nathan walked over to them, informing them that he was in the second heat. As Nathan walked over to his car, she decided to follow, the other guys deciding to get extra gas for Nathan. Haley was not blind to the icy glares that she was getting as she joined Nathan by the front of his car, or was she blind to the lustful stares those same girls seemed to be giving Nathan. For some reason, they made her feel completely self-conscious. There they were flaunting their beauty and bodies to everyone at the track, something she felt she could never compete with. Albeit, Haley was probably a better mechanic and racer than any of them, and on any other day that would have been enough to make her feel better, but today it didn't seem to be enough.

Haley looked down at her overalls, covered in oil stains and the dirty white boys muscle shirt she wore that looked more like a grungy gray, feeling even worse about her appearance. She passed her hands over her hair and pulled off the rubber band that was holding it in place. Haley shook her head and was about to readjust it into a decent ponytail when she felt a hand on hers.

"Leave it down, it looks better." Nathan smiled at her while slightly ruffling her hair a bit more. Haley smiled back, fully aware that this one little gesture had caused her mood to brighten and her heart to start thumping in her chest a mile a minute. Nathan's hand then moved to the pin that was holding back her bangs, removing it and letting them fall where they sat just above her eye.

"That's much better. Hides you lil' shiner so the rest of us don't have to revel in its horror!"

Haley gasped and began to chase Nathan after he ran off, laughing, towards the direction of their friends, who were patiently waiting the beginning of the first race. As Haley got close, she hit Nathan on the back and then proceeded to hide behind Jake, who only shook his head at her with a smile on her face. The first race went by quickly. A kid in a black Jaguar smoked the competition, not that there seemed to be much. Haley watched as they motioned for the second heat to get ready. Nathan got up and was shaking everyone's hand, and when he got to her, Haley did something that surprised herself. She jumped up and kissed Nathan on the cheek. When Nathan gave her a questioning look, Haley quickly responded.

"For good luck! And you better win, because I don't just kiss anybody's cheek!"

Nathan laughed and ruffled her hair once more before walking away towards his car. He drove up to the starting line and she gave him two thumbs up. Anxiousness filled her body as she heard the roar of the cars as all the guys started to rev up their engines, in what she knew was in effort to try to intimidate the others. She couldn't hear the girl who started the races, but she knew that once she saw the bra in the air that the girl had commenced counting. In a blur, the girl's hand and bra dropped and the cars where off. There was a boy with a Mustang who obviously didn't know how to drive a stick when his car stopped not 3 seconds into the race and let off a huge cloud of black smoke.

Haley continued to watch as Nathan flew past the guy in front of her and welcomed the strong wind and sound that came when Nathan flew past them and won his first heat. She jumped up with the rest of the crew in victory. Nathan drove around and parked the car, Jake, Tim and her quickly inspecting the car in order to make sure it was ready for the next race. As Haley finished her part of the inspection, she tried to go over to Nathan to congratulate him but she noticed that Mouth was still giving him tips on what to do differently for the next race, and she didn't want to interrupt.

Haley walked over to Mouth's car and waited for the rest to return. Soon it was time for the final race. Haley and the rest of the crew held hands as the starter-girl counted off, and watched the drop of her bra be accompanied by the rush of the cars.

_TSH TSH TSH TSH TSH TSH TSH TSH TSH TSH_

Nathan clutched the wheel tightly, taking in jagged breath before he could finally relax. There were a million thoughts running through his head right now. He looked to his left at the other three racers. The two in the middle had finished in slower times that him, it was the one at the end he was worried about. It was the guy that owned the jaguar, and according to Mouth, had stocked it with two dry tanks of Nitrous.

Reminding him that he had to prep the tank, Nathan picked up the seat of passenger seat and prepped the nitrous tank that Mouth had installed earlier that day. He pushed back the seat of the car and tired to relax a little before he psyched himself out. Nathan put his hand around the cold metal key and turned the ignition, the car roaring to life, the roar flowing down the line as the others followed suit. He tapped his fingers against the steering wheel slightly as he waited for the girl to situate herself in the middle of the track. Nathan put his foot on the peddle, making sure not to go to heavy, but just enough to burn some rubber off the tires; a trick Mouth had given him, it would be tricky for turning, but he wouldn't be loosing speed like the rest.

Nathan watched the girl's arm drop slightly and pressed the gas pedal a little more, the roar of the engine ringing loudly in his ear. As the girl's arm dropped down signaling the start of the race, Nathan stepped hard on the pedal, quickly feeling the hard tug of the quick start. Paying attention as they kept pretty much even for the straightaway only meant one thing. Thinking fast, he hit the break a little, falling behind the pack. He could see that from the back of their cars they seemed to be laughing at him, but Nathan just followed them from a short distance.

_TSH TSH TSH TSH TSH TSH TSH TSH TSH TSH_

Haley squeezed Tim's hand hard and screamed in frustration. She could not believe what she just saw. Did Nathan just purposefully fall behind the pack? Apparently she was not the only one that noticed this.

"What the hell is he doing?" Jake yelled, shaking his head in apparent disgust to Nathan's actions. Jake turned around and covered his eyes, screaming at the same time, "I can't watch this."

Haley couldn't blame him; this would probably cost him the race. How could Nathan be so stupid? Out of the corner of her eye, amongst two pissed off faces, she saw the smirk planted firmly on the face of the new kid.

"What are you so smug about?" Haley asked angrily, infuriated that this so call 'genius' was not worried about the fact that Nathan just took himself out of the possibility of coming in first. Mouth just looked over at her and shook his head at them.

"You'll see…" He spoke slyly, maintaining the smirk.

_TSH TSH TSH TSH TSH TSH TSH TSH TSH TSH_

Nathan, remembering what Mouth had told him, watched as the three in front of him swerved into each other, the car that had been in the lane closet to the middle, Felix, swerving into the two middle cars, making them knock each other off course. Nathan, having moved to the inner lane had taken the turn smoother than the rest and speed up to straighten out the car at the straightaway. He smiled, silently thanking Mouth for the information he had provided beforehand.

_TSH TSH TSH TSH TSH TSH TSH TSH TSH TSH_

Haley's mouth dropped, her brain unable to process the image that her eyes had just captured. What in all things speedy had just occurred? She wasn't the only one that was amazed as the once rowdy crowd had suddenly become mute, the only sounds being emitted from the area was Mouth laugh along with high chorus of something to the tune of 'I told you so'. Not that Haley could really just believe what happened. How the hell did three cars just crash on the first turn? Haley looked towards Tim and Jake, both who were looking at her with seemingly similar expressions; the three of them totally awestruck from the fact that Nathan had foreseen that; amazement that he had gotten the leg up, and total confusion as to how it had all transpired.

"They were all too cocky."

It was Mouth who had spoken. It appeared he had stopped laughing and gloating long enough to answer their questions. Haley, still confused, looked at Mouth, waiting for him to elaborate.

"They, the other guys, won their races 'cause they were faster than the rest. Now that they were equally fast coming off the line, they all turned into each other. I realized this before, which is why I told Nathan to drop back at the turn. " Mouth said smugly.

Haley would usually not accept that type of attitude out of anyone, especially not today, what, with her various mood swings and all, but she had to admit, genius boy was really one smart person. Suddenly there was an outburst in the crowd, and Haley looked away from Mouth onto the track to check out what the commotion was all about. She quickly spotted what had caused the sudden outburst in the crowd, the black Jaguar, seemed to have straightened itself out of the mess and was quickly catching up to Nathan. This couldn't be good. Mouth put his hand on her shoulder and Haley turned towards him.

"Well one good thing is that he seems to have used up one of his Nitrous tanks, which means he only has one left. Bad thing, I don't think Nathan is paying attention and the Jaguar is closing in quick."

Haley shook her head. This was definitely not good.

_TSH TSH TSH TSH TSH TSH TSH TSH TSH TSH_

Nathan tried to concentrate. There was one lap left, and the Jaguar was in front of him, and they only had the straightaway left and one more turn. Nathan had no time to consider how this had occurred, though he knew it happened because he got careless and let the guy overtake him in the second lap. Nathan noticed that they were now halfway through the straightaway and approaching the curve quickly. Out of nowhere Nathan got an idea, speeding up a little and placing himself so that he was right behind the Jaguar, he lightly bumped the car.

With the turn approaching faster, Nathan bumped the Jaguar once more, and just as expected, in order to avoid being bumped once again, the Jaguar took the wider turn. Nathan knew that at this speed, he couldn't exactly cleanly shave the curve, and he in a quick burst of inspiration, grabbed the handbrake, feeling the quick jerk of the decrease in speed. The wheel turned furiously in his hands and the back of his car cleared the turn, leaving black trail in their paths. The front end, having the smaller distance quickly caught up to the back and Nathan noticed that the Jaguar had made it around and he was sure that it would use Nitrous to secure the end.

Acting quickly, Nathan grabbed the wheel and jerked in the other direction, stepping harder onto the pedal, using the speed to help him straighten out. As soon as the Jaguar passed by him, Nathan hit the Nitrous button, praying that the wet shot would be enough to surpass the Jaguar. The sudden burst of speed pushed Nathan even farther back in his seat, the sudden rush giving him an even stronger burst of adrenaline. Soon Nathan closed in on the black Jaguar. Everything else was a blur around him, his skin was crawling and his ears were popping slightly but Nathan didn't care, he was in heaven. Suddenly the Jaguar next to him disappeared and Nathan crossed the finish line. He quickly stepped on the pedal, swerving the car, as it spun into a perfect circle, and stopping suddenly. His head was swimming from the sudden rush of everything.

Nathan realized the crowd that was gathering and knew that only meant on thing, he had won!

_TSH TSH TSH TSH TSH TSH TSH TSH TSH TSH_

Haley jumped up with the rest in her excitement and ran towards Nathan's car wanting to be the first to congratulate him when someone pushed past her. All she saw was blond curls, a leather jacket, long boots, and a skirt. Haley saw as Nathan enveloped the girl in a hug and kissed her. Then reality hit her. Peyton. How could she forget that he had a girlfriend, that he was 16 years old, and that she was only thirteen? Of course, he did not have feelings for her. She beat herself for being such a girl. She then felt a hand on her shoulder and she looked up to see Jake, and then over to Nathan as they both watched the crowd grow around him.

"Heartbreak, remember the word, you will have to greet it many times in your lifetime. Grim I know, but true. "

Jake looked down at her and gave her a sad smile. Haley dropped her head, holding back her stubborn tears. She then heard Peyton's voice over the crowd.

"Nathan Scott, you guys remember that name, it's whose dust you'll be eating from now on!"

_TSH TSH TSH TSH TSH TSH TSH TSH TSH TSH_

_**June 1994**_

_**Long Island City, NY**_

_He could feel the blood running down from the side of his mouth. He took off his helmet completely and exited the arena, the taste of paint and blood overtaking his senses. He threw his gun and helmet on the floor near the entrance and ran his hand through his sweaty hair, his hands trying to pry apart the knotted locks. He sat down, and put his face in his hands frustrated._

"_You look like hell."_

_He looked up, noticing an African-American girl with short black hair offering him a towel. He took, giving her a grateful smile and wiped the blood and paint off of his face. The girl then spoke again._

"_How'd that happen?"_

"_I ran out of bullets, and put my gun up in surrender. As I was trying to get out, someone shot my helmet and my goggles where already foggy, so I lifted up my helmet a little to spot the exit and some bastard shot me. Hit me right in the mouth."_

"_I feel like you get more bruises every day." The girl said worriedly._

"_Better this than actual bullet wounds. At least this way I can practice my aim and my technique so that I can become a cop."_

"_I guess." The girl said quietly._

_He noticed her change in demeanor and sought a quick way to make her smile._

"_How about we get on the 7 and get you some good-old home-cooked Italian cooking and then some ice cream."_

_The girl's face lit up quickly and she grabbed his hand quickly shoved him into the locker room area. _

"_You have 15 minutes before I come in there and change you my self."_

_He laughed and rushed into the shower. _


	4. Chapter 3: Billie Jean

Chapter 3: Billie Jean

A/N: So this update is much faster than I expected. As I was searching through my e-mails, I remembered that I had a folder where I had sent some chapters to beta-readers. And lo-and-behold, there it was. So I now have the original chapters. They need a lot of work, since I was young and foolish when I started to write this, oh about two summers ago. Not as young, but still a bit as foolish. This is the edit of the original 3rd chapter, after this, things change around quite a lot from where I seem to originally want to take this story. Hope you guys enjoy it, and hopefully I can give you guys another update real soon.

Disclaimer: I own nothing but my puppy. Wait I have no puppy. Cruel reality! Billie Jean is of course property of the late Michael Jackson. May he rest in peace.

_****_

She told me her name was Billie Jean, as she caused a scene  
Then every head turned with eyes that dreamed of being the one  
Who will dance on the floor in the round

People always told me be careful of what you do  
And don't go around breaking young girls' hearts  
And mother always told me be careful of who you love  
And be careful of what you do 'cause the lie becomes the truth

_TSH TSH TSH TSH TSH TSH TSH TSH TSH TSH_

_June 1996_

_Los Angeles, California_

15-year-old Haley threw the monkey wrench on the floor with all the force she could muster. It narrowly missed her foot, although she doubted that she would have felt any pain due to the fact that she had her heavy steel-toed boots on today. She wiped her hand on her stain-covered shirt and tightened the sleeves of her work coveralls, which were now working as her belt. It was hot and, working under a car or under a hood, she felt that the long sleeves of the coveralls were a bit much. This led her to decide to roll down the top part and just wear her grimy, oil-stained white wife-beater.

Haley sighed,realizing that yet again she was the only one in the garage during lunch hour. This meant she would have to stay until someone came back, before she could get her food. She laughed knowing that the possibility of her actually being able to go out and get something was slim to none. She made a mental note to remind herself to pack something from home for next time, or at least ask Brooke to make her something and drop it off.

Just as she was about to go back and start working on the car again she noticed a figure in the doorway of the garage's office. At first she just strolled over, but once she noticed it was Jake and that he was holding up two white paper bags, with little grease stains at the bottom, she started to run towards him in excitement.

"Jake you're a life saver. I thought I was going to starve to death!" Haley exclaimed dramatically as she bit off a huge piece of the steaming slice of pizza she had just retrieved from the greasy brown bag. Haley pulled the slice away from her, twirling the gooey cheese around her tongue. Haley, noticing that Jake was dabbing his with a napkin, just shook her head at his crazy antics, and she bit off the cheese and swallowed the hot gooey substance. As the taste the oregano filled her mouth, her stomach growled in approval of the heavenly mixture. She looked over to Jake, who was still dabbing his slice and shook her head disapprovingly again.

"How dare you destroy a perfect …"

"Sorry, but I kind of want to live past my thirty-fifth birthday, y'know?" Jake interrupted her, having had this discussion many times before. He looked at her slice with disgust.

"That's funny coming from a racer."

"Racing would be a more noble way to die." Jake said mockingly, puffing up his chest and placing his left hand over his heart, while holding his pizza above his head.

Haley laughed, shaking her head as she took another bite of her own greasy slice.

_TSH TSH TSH TSH TSH TSH TSH TSH TSH TSH_

Nathan lifted Peyton, up onto the hood of his car, his other most prized possession. He was happy to see that they were on again; it was getting harder for him to keep track of their relationship these days. Ever since his first race, Nathan had attended all the amateur races, making a name for himself amongst the other racers. This, of course, had caused strains in their relationship. With all the fame came many girls who were looking to show him a good time. They were the ones rejected by the big racers and looked to get in with up coming racers. Nathan, never being one to turn down girls before, basked in the greater attention he was getting from older women now. This of course hadn't boded well with Peyton, and after a couple of fights, Nathan had tried to ignore them but he swore sometimes they were worse than rock star groupies. Having no security guards to stop them, they could appear anywhere, ready and willing for anything. It was safe to say that Nathan had not been very successful in that department. What else was he suppose to do when he walked into his room to find them standing in front of him ready and willing? Especially if they were twins, or worse, triplets?

He knew that he was not the perfect gentleman, but Peyton was well aware of that too, and they still stayed together most of the time. Nathan knew that Peyton had a fear of being alone as well as a need for status. Nathan on his part liked the looks of envy that he got when he had her on his arm. Plus he had spent too much time to acquire her, and he was not about to let another have her. He knew it was not the best nor healthiest of relationships, but Nathan really didn't care.. Life was not perfect, but then he didn't expect it to be, you just had to make do with what you got sometimes.

_TSH TSH TSH TSH TSH TSH TSH TSH TSH_

"So is he going to be racing next week? I mean, his eighteenth birthday is today, which mean, you know, that he can compete in the underground races…" Haley asked, wiping her greasy hands on a rag, after having finished both her slices of pizza. She grabbed the bottle of grape soda next to her, taking a long swig before placing it back on the desk. She wiped her mouth with her sleeve and leaning back in the office chair, plopping her dirty work boots on the corner of the desk, and placed her hands behind her head.

She looked expectantly at the teenage boy knowing he would be able to answer her question. In the two-years they had known each other, he was the only one - besides Mouth - who did not tease her about being less of a lady than the drunken cross-dresser that sang Broadway tunes in front of the Cineplex in town - though she suspected the only reason Mouth didn't tease her was because he was afraid of her. Jake was like a brother - a brother she actually liked.

"I guess. I mean, he's been tuning his car up. I doubt he would need that much equipment just to show up those rich boys he's been racing." Jake grinned. He knew as well as Haley did that Nathan was a talented driver.

"We'll see though," he continued. "Anyways, you would probably know before the rest of us, seeing as you are his lucky charm and all. Doesn't he always tell you before any of us before he's going to race anyway?" Jake stated teasingly.

Haley blushed, another reason that Jake didn't tease her about the being "less of a lady…" situation. It was also because, as Jake so "eloquently" told her once; "behind all that layer of oil and dirt there is a little lady waiting for Nathan to sweep her off her feet."

Though Haley did not like the label of damsel in distress, she did agree that there was some truth behind his words. Ever since that day at the track, and all the races after, she had ridden in Nathan's car on the way. She would get out, give him the mandatory kiss on the cheek for good luck and watch him race. They would talk while the rest of the gang checked out the car, or watched the other racers, and it had all gone to her head and her heart, only to be crushed every time. It seemed that no matter how many times she had seen Nathan with his countless number of skanks, Haley could not stop the feelings she had for him.

"You're going to get hurt Haley." Jake warned. "Why can't you like some nice boy?"

Haley gave Jake a look he knew well and which cause him to laugh. Just as Haley was about to explain for the millionth time that she would never fall for a 'good guy' cause he would never be able to understand her obsession with cars, they heard a car rev up into the garage. She didn't even have to turn around to know whose cars it was. She knew everyone's car in the garage just by sound. She looked up at Jake and took huge bite out of his second pizza slice.

_TSH TSH TSH TSH TSH TSH TSH TSH TSH TSH_

Nathan watched as Peyton tried to fix her attire, as he drove over to the garage, trying to fool everyone that what had just transpired between the two of them, had not just occured. There were two reasons as to why that wouldn't work. One they were in his car, which did not exactly provide her with the space to properly fix herself up. Secondly everyone could see the smirk that graced Nathan's face - one that could only mean that he had just gotten 'lucky'. As soon as Nathan pulled up to the side entrance of the garage, Peyton got out and rushed into the garage, remembering that she had yet to finish the detail on a car they were supposed to be giving back today. Meanwhile Nathan couldn't help the thought that passed through his mind as he walked over towards the office. He was getting tired of this whole thing, all the games. He stopped, noticing Jake and Haley were having lunch inside the office.

As he entered the office, he took the un-opened bag of Sun-Chips that Haley had in her hands and opened the bag, scarfing down the entire bag. He smiled widely at her as he licked his lips and rub his belly mockingly while she just glared up at him, stood up angrily, and exited the office. The smile disappeared from Nathan's face as he watched Haley storm out of the office and he looked to Jake for an answer. The teen mechanic just shrugged his shoulders, knowing the truth, but the truth was not something Nathan was ready to hear - and it was not something Haley was ready to let Nathan know, so he gave the only answer he could come up with on the spot.

"I guess she was hungry."

Jake got up and walked away, leaving Nathan unsatisfied with the answer he had been given. Looking over at Haley he saw her bent over, inspecting the engine under the hood of a car. He didn't know what he had done wrong, just that he had done something. He tried to rethink back at his actions, the earlier ones and the recent ones. He really could not have his good luck charm mad at him. Not being able to come up with anything, and the sound of people entering the garage, Nathan knew he would have to think about it later on. After exiting the office and looking around, making sure all the customer cars where being taken care of, he went off to work on his own car.

Nathan worked on his car all night; the thought of his first upcoming race against in the true underground races, put all thoughts of his birthday on the back burner. He didn't even notice the fact that everybody had left the garage at five except for Tim . When he was done, he walked over to the car Tim was working on.

"You ready to go?"

Tim slid out from under his car and if Nathan had really thought about, it seemed that Tim had not actually been working on it.

"Man, I think you should go change."

Nathan looked down at his current state of dress to see what was different from any other day. Seeing nothing he looked up at Tim questioningly.

"I'm just saying, your sister is cooking you a big dinner and she might be mad if you show up all oily and dirty in the living room she just cleaned."

Nathan laughed, remembering what had happened last year at that same event. Nathan had appeared filthy and oily to the dinner which Brooke had made for him. They usually had a barbeque, except this time their grandparents had come to visit. Brooke had cleaned the whole house, which was a very excruciating task within itself. He had not heard the end of it for almost two months. This year was going to be another dinner, then, in two days they were planning on having a party to celebrate his big race.

Nathan grabbed the bag that Tim handed him, took a shower, and changed into the clean clothes that had been inside. They drove over to the Scotts' house in Tim's car. As they pulled up to the driveway Nathan noticed that the house was dark. He scratched his head in confusion and walked up to the house. He noticed Tim had not followed him in and then saw a light in the backyard. He opened the back door…

"SURPRISE!"

_TSH TSH TSH TSH TSH TSH TSH TSH TSH TSH_

Haley watched as a frantic Brooke ran around, checking to make sure everything was perfect and that everyone knew what they were doing. She finally got up from the green plastic chair and went into the kitchen, still getting used to that fact that it was clean. Not that it was usually a pig sty, but it was never this sparkling clean. She didn't even know why Brooke went through the trouble; they both knew that it was going to be completely trashed by the end of the party. Haley knew better though, than to ask Brooke this question, having done it once before, and receiving a long speech on the importance of appearance.

Haley leaned against the counter, taking a sip of grape soda out of the plastic red cup. She looked over to the birthday cake that Brooke had baked. This reminded her of the fact that today Nathan was turning eighteen, and the balloon that was her fantasy world, in which he might notice her, was going to pop. So Haley decided that today she was going to forget about Nathan. But to do that she was going need help from Brooke, who had recently put the phone down and was now beginning to calm down.

"Ok, everything is set. Dad is in San Fran. That will give us enough time to clean up after the storm."

Haley leaned back against counter once again, placing her drink on top of the counter and crossing her arms over her chest.

"Doesn't your 'uncle' live there?"

Brooke smiled and laughed at Haley's use of quotation's mark. It was hard not to smile. Haley had met Cooper once a couple of years ago. He was an exact replica of Nathan, the only difference being that he was just slightly older. They both had that cocky, self-assured over confidence that drew girls to them. Also Uncle Cooper, their late mother's younger brother, was only 3 years older than Nathan, so Haley thought it was silly to call him their uncle.

"Yeah, he does." Brooke twirled a piece of dark hair between her fingers, "Well, everything's set. I just gotta get ready now."

"What about me?" Haley said in mock hurt. Brooke quickly dismissed her, putting her hands on her hips and pointing her finger at Haley.

"Please Haley; you only take, like, 10 minutes to get ready." Brooke then turned around and walked towards the door that led to the living room.

Haley shifted on her feet, hesitating before speaking.

"I was… I was wondering if you could help me tonight."

This statement stopped Brooke mid-stride. She quickly turned around and faced Haley.

"With getting ready, you mean?" She smirked. "Are you trying to impress someone, Miss Hales?"

Haley scowled. Was she that transparent?

"Forget it." She muttered.

"Hey, don't be like that. I'll help." Brooke beamed, grabbing Haley by the hand and dragging her up to their shared room. Seating the girl in front of her vanity, she dragged her closet open and began pulling out various objects. Haley winced as hairdryers, irons, curlers and make up compacts came to rest on the sideboard. This was such a bad idea.

"So, who are you trying to impress?" Brooke asked, while she continued to rummage through her make-up kits while at the same time flipping open some magazines.

"Do I have to be trying to impress anyone?" Haley countered. "Can't a girl just want to look nice for a change?"

Brooke raised a brow but didn't say a word as she reached for the hairbrush. Haley didn't miss the knowing look on her friend's face.

Between them, they took almost three and a half hours to get ready. Brooke had decided to keep her hair straight and was wearing a mid-torso jean jacket with a white tank top and a jean skirt that fell mid-thigh. She walked around bare-foot, examining her 'master-piece'. Haley's hair hung loose, draped over her shoulders, the slight wave, framing her face. She sported an un-zipped jacket that fell mid-torso, like Brooke's, but hers was made of tight black leather with a red and black dragon etched onto the back, which was paired with a black camisole underneath. She also wore her black, fingerless racing gloves. Brooke noticed Haley tugging the red and black flow skirt she was wearing and slapped the hand away.

"Stop fidgeting!" She berated.

"I feel stupid." Haley grouched.

"You look hot."

Haley scowled at her but folded her arms over her chest. "I look like an idiot."

"You're perfect! Though I would have preferred heels with the outfit instead of those boots... Well at least they are tight and not clunky like your other ones." Haley glanced down at her feet. Brooke had tried to get her into a pair of strapped sandals but it was one thing she had firmly dug her heels in about. She already felt completely out of her comfort zone and she wasn't willing to give up her favorite pair of knee high black combat boots.

Haley sighed, even though this was not her usual style of clothing, she had to hand it to Brooke; she looked better than what she had imagined Brooke might try to get her to wear,. She had been worried that the skirt was going to feel awkward but wearing Brooke's cheerleading tights gave her a sense of security. She decided to return the favor and turned around to rummage through the bottom her closet, taking out a box that was buried deep inside. She handed the box to Brooke, who squealed when she opened it to see the heels she had been eying all week at the store.

"Girl! I can't believe you got me these!" Brooke said breathlessly as she took the shoes out like they were some kind of holy relic.

"Well, it's my way of saying thanks. Y'know, for dealing with me for the past two years and now for this."

Brooke hugged Haley and quickly put the white heels on. She then applied her and Haley's make up before finally declaring they were smoking hot and ready to party.

They walked downstairs just as both Mouth and Jake walked in the front door, carrying a cooler. Jake had his back to them, but Mouth was facing them, and he quickly dropped his side of the cooler, forcing Jake to drop his end, and start to curse at him. When Jake noticed that Mouth wasn't paying attention to him but was instead just staring at something of his shoulder, he to turned around. Both of their mouths dropped when they realized it was Haley standing at the bottom of the stairs next to Brooke.

"Go change right now!" Jake demanded.

Brooke glared at Jake, probably because of the change in Haley's demeanor at his command, and held her to the spot as Haley tried to turn around and go back upstairs.

"Oh no you don't, I worked and fought too hard for this! Now Jake, tell her she looks nice and stop being so overprotective, you ass!"

Jake looked as if he was about to argue, but the look on Brooke's face was enough to tell him that it would be useless to fight her. It was not that Haley didn't look nice, because she did; it was the fact that this party was going to have a bunch of high school boys attending, street-racers at that, and he just didn't trust them with her, especially when she looked like that.

"You look nice Haley, really, you do. Just please be careful tonight." Jake finally conceded.

Haley smiled, loving that Jake approved of her new look for the night. She ran over to hug him and was about to offer to help when Brooke grabbed her, apparently reading her thoughts and saying something along the lines that she couldn't just go off and get sweaty and ruin the look. After they guys done setting up the food, people started appearing, and once the DJ was there, the party started. Haley noticed that many of the guys were surprised to see her dressed like she was, and she felt like punching them all in the face, until she remembered her resolution. Instead, she decided to dance with them. Soon, she lost herself in the music, like she would lose herself in the racing. She was having a good time dancing with a boy named Junk, a senior at their high school, when Jake made the DJ stop their music.

"He's on his way!"

Everyone was well aware of whom the reference was to, and they all turned off all the lights. A few minutes later they heard a car park in the driveway but saw only Tim come around, motioning that Nathan was inside. The small light at the DJ booth was probably what led Nathan to the back, because the next thing they knew, Nathan had opened the door and they all yelled, "Surprise!"

After Nathan laughed and motioned for the DJ to start the party again, the lights were lit up once more, and Haley began to dance yet again. She was trying to avoid seeing Nathan, so she moved from dance partner to dance partner, hoping to have someone by the end of the night. If she let herself think about it, she might of realized she sounded rather like the race-whores she hated so much. However, she was not thinking. If she had been, she would have noticed that her dance partner had been changed once more, mid-dance, and she was now in the darker part of the yard with her partner.

"I never knew you could dance so well," said a deep voice behind her.

Haley swallowed, suddenly realizing that her partner was the same person she had been trying to avoid all night. She attempted to move away, but the grip he had on her hips was too strong, and Haley had no choice but to continue dancing. She could feel Nathan's breath on her skin of her neck, as if he had leaned in to tell her a secret. In doing so, she could also smell the alcohol on his breath.

"Why is it that my good luck charm seems to be all dressed up today, but hasn't wished me a happy birthday yet? Should I be worried that she's found someone else to give her luck to?" Nathan asked, his voice had become slightly husky.

Haley swallowed and stopped dancing. Nathan's hand was now resting on her stomach, and he had raised the hem of her cami to rub circles rhythmically on her bare skin. Haley reveled in the moment before realizing what was probably happening, and that Nathan had been drinking. She removed his hand and turned around to face him, but when she did he pulled her towards him.

"I don't know what's going on Haley, or what you're doing to me, but I've been craving you since I first spotted you tonight." Nathan pulled her closer, his forehead resting on hers. Haley wanted to believe that this was all true, but in this proximity Haley was again reminded that Nathan had been drinking.

Haley swallowed once again, trying to remain calm. She cleared her throat and spoke.

"You're drunk." Haley pushed herself away from him, not being able to handle the proximity to him.

Nathan laughed, looking her in the eyes. He then pulled closer to him, once again. This time whispering in her ears.

"You know I can hold my liquor, so it's certainly not that. Meet me in my room in ten minutes, and don't tell anyone."

Nathan squeezed her ass as he pulled away and Haley felt faint. She could not be weak. She also knew that Nathan was right, that he could hold his liquor, but maybe he'd had more today than he usually drank at parties. She turned around, noticing no one was looking her direction. In fact, most of the people had moved inside. She decided to ignore Nathan's invitation and continued to dance.

_TSH TSH TSH TSH TSH TSH TSH TSH TSH TSH_

Nathan splashed water on his face.

_What was wrong with him?_ He thought to himself as he remembered the events that had just transpired and shook his head.

_Haley must be so confused right now_, he thought, reprimanding his self for not having more control.

He didn't know what had gotten into him, but the moment he saw her dancing and grinding with all those assholes, he just wanted to grab her away from them and keep her all to himself. Leaning on the edge of the sink, his shoulders sank. He couldn't get her image out of his mind. God, what was wrong with him? He physically shook himself and dried his face on a small, white hand towel before making his way towards his room taking out his key. He unlocked the door and sat on the bed, waiting. His primal instincts were raging, and with the booze backing them up, his right state of mind had lost the fight and now lay dormant. He waited ten minutes, waited for her to show up, impatience getting the better of him. Would she come or was he living a pipe dream?

He was about to leave, thinking he had probably scared her off, when he heard a knock at the door. Slowly, he moved over to the door and carefully opened it. Haley stood nervously in the in front of him, her jacket and boots missing. For a moment neither of them spoke and the tension was almost painful. Finally Haley broke the silence.

"Hey." She twisted her fingers together, glancing at the floor.

"Hey…" He responded slowly. "I thought you weren't going t come up, it's been 30 minutes."

Haley looked up at him and then down the hall.

"I wasn't going to. Then I changed my mind, can I come in?"

Nathan just nodded his head slowly and then opened the door further, allowing her space to come in. She raised her eyes to him before shifting her gaze down the length of the hall before she entered the room. He took a swig of his beer, shutting the door behind her.

_TSH TSH TSH TSH TSH TSH TSH TSH TSH TSH_

_June 1996_

_Miami, Florida_

_Using his two hands, he squeezed his head, in a warped attempt to rid himself of the massive headache which was now overtaking his head. He groaned at his futile attempts and dropped his hands in frustration. When his hands came in contact with warm human flesh, he quickly sat up in his bed, opening his eyes rapidly. He quickly took in his surrounding, from the disheveled empty bed of his roommate to the female clothes and empty liquor bottles strewn about the floor of the room. _

_His gaze soon fell upon the red tresses, which covered the second pillow on his bed. He tired his hardest to try and remember what had happened the night before. The images that soon flooded his mind son made his headache much worse, regret soon filling his body. _

_**What have I done? **_

_As soon as thoughts of the repercussions this event would have on his life, he heard the door of his room open. Thinking it was his roommate, he quickly covered the girl beside him and turned his torso, to better access the Advil in the end desk next to his bed. But the sounds of a scream and a familiar voice made him drop the bottle he had just opened. _

"_WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS?"_

_**People always told me be careful of what you do  
And don't go around breaking young girls' hearts  
She came and stood right by me  
Then the smell of sweet perfume  
This happened much too soon  
She called me to her room**_

Billie Jean is not my lover  
She's just a girl who claims that I am the one

_**~ Michael Jackson**_

A/N: I am looking for a better-reader if anybody is interested in helping me with the chapters that follow so that I might be able to churn these out a bit faster, before something happens again and I lose all interest in the story. Also the title of the next chapter is Nobody's Hero, which is the title to a song by the awesome Rush, I have a feeling there will be many more Rush and MJ chapter titles. They just rock. Oh, for those that have reviewed a chapter 3 before, but wish to tell me there thoughts on the changes just send me a P.M. 'Till next time.

_**LG**_


	5. Chapter 4: Fast Times

Chapter 4: Fast Times

Disclaimer: The song lyrics belong to their perspective musical groups; I'm just using them to set the tone for this chapter. One Tree Hill does not belong to me, well at least not in this universe. ;P

A/N: Sorry this took so long, but working from the previous Chapter 4 was horrendous. I'm also trying to gather myself after my GAP year in order to prepare myself for college. Oh joy, education once again! Anyways, good new, Chapter 5 probably won't take as long as this one because it is already half-written. Bad news, I will be packing, traveling and moving into college over the next four days, plus orientation plus start of classes. I'll try to get it done while my roommate is moving in since I shall already be unpacked for a whole four days. Hope you enjoy it! Special thanks to my beta-reader: 23 Naley Is True Love…she rocks, which reminds me that I need to go read her story, and you should to! Also thanks to all who reviewed, I LOVE you guys, and the next chapter will be dedicated to all of you, pennames and all included.

_The world is just a joke  
It's such a mess  
You know we got to take it while we're young  
Bottles I just want to hear them smash  
I ain't got no plans on growin' up_

_~ The Virgin_

_Time clock punching me out of the door  
Fire it up come on rev it, rev it up  
Shoot my care into the freeway war_

_Fast times  
Fast times_

_At the end of one day's race  
I just got to see my darling's face  
Before the day starts in again  
Before the morning rings and rings  
My baby's waiting anxiously  
Pouring kisses over me_

_~ Heart_

_TSH TSH TSH TSH TSH TSH TSH TSH TSH TSH_

_June 1996_

_Los Angeles, California_

Haley's hips swayed along to the rhythm and beats that vibrated out of the rented speakers. Taking a drink from an offered beer cup, she backed herself into her new guy, trying to forget the conversation with Nathan just moments before. Just as the thought of Nathan filtered through her block, she began to grind harder into the guy behind her, hoping to distract herself from thoughts of Nathan. Instead her actions reminded her of all the pent up feelings that she had for the oil monkey, making her slightly buzzed head forget who she was with at the moment and turn it into Nathan. For a while, it lifted her mood, until the guy she had been dancing with spilled cold beer on to her shirt, making her jerk out of her day dream. Haley pushed away from him, ignoring his pleas of forgiveness, and pushed people out of her way as she made her way to the backdoor She pulled open the wooden door with a hard tug and grabbed a dish towel as she stepped into the brightly lit kitchen.

Haley was lost in thought as she leant against the counter, holding out her shirt by the hem as she tried to dry up the beer on it, muttering curses at both the guy and Nathan under her breath. She jumped up in surprise when she felt a hand on her right shoulder, nearly missing the cabinet above. Haley lifted her head and looked over to the person who had invaded her personal space. There stood Brooke, giving her the 'what is wrong with you look?' which, even if she did not feel like sharing, always made her feel like blurting out all her troubles.

"Some jerk spilt his beer on me while we were dancing. I feel so sticky and gross." Haley stated, now harshly attacking her shirt with the dishtowel in her hand. Brooke put her hand on Haley's, stopping her next attack on the ruined shirt. Slowly Brooke took the dishtowel out of her hands and placed it on the counter next to them before taking both of Haley's hands in her own.

"Now sweetie, I know that isn't the problem. We live here, hello! You could have so gone upstairs and changed, instead of attacking the shirt and muttering under your breath like a crazy person. Let's try again. What's truly wrong?" Brooke said, tugging Haley's arms slightly, making Haley look up at Brooke's face.

Haley swallowed, Brooke was looking at her with the famed puppy-dog look, and she could feel the words building up her throat, waiting to explode out into the air. Talk about a serious case of potential word vomit. Haley took a deep breath and thought about the best way to go about this. She began explaining the situation, admitting that there was a boy that she had been having feelings for for some time now, but of course omitting the fact that said boy was her brother, instead alluding that it was some boy at school. 3 After Haley had finished her short tale and Brooke had finally finished squealing, she slapped Haley. Surprised, Haley did not retaliate by hitting Brooke back, like she normally would have done, but instead, just placed her own hand lightly on the stricken cheek.

"You needed that!" Brooke told her, standing in front of her with her hands on her hips, wagging a finger in front of her face. "Stop being so stupid and over-anallyptical!"

Haley scrunched her eyebrows in confusion for a moment before finally realizing what Brooke had been trying to say.

"Do you mean analytical?"

Brooke huffed, clearly frustrated.

"Yeah, yeah, miss smarty pants. Stop being that; leave that when you are dealing with cars. As cliché as this sounds, follow your damn heart. Or hormones." Brooke said, using her hands to give her words more depth. Then a Cheshire smile spread quickly upon her face, and her hands rushed out to Haley's waist and pulled at it, making Haley's pelvis thrust forward.

"Follow your hungry loins!" Brooke yelled loudly, making some of the party patrons, which had walked into the kitchen in search of pizza or a bathroom, look at them questionably. This made Brooke fall into a fit of giggles as she continued to move Haley's hips in a thrusting motion. Haley, unable to keep a straight face any longer, joined Brooke's laughter. After a while the laughter died down, and they were able to control both their laughter and breathing. Brooke released Haley from her grip, and turned around, grabbing a big bag of chips off the counter.

"While I go refill the bowl, you go upstairs and change. Then off to suck –face land you go!" Brooke told Haley with a little smirk on her face. As Brooke walked past Haley, she turned around, giving her a hard spank on the ass and a wink. Haley watched as Brooke walked outside, with a little bounce in her step, and giggles still escaping her mouth. 3Haley closed her eyes as she pinched her temple, relieving herself of the headache she ad acquired from laughing so hard. Taking a deep breath, Haley quickly exited the kitchen and made her journey upstairs, before she lost her nerves.

_TSH TSH TSH TSH TSH TSH TSH TSH TSH TSH_

Haley stood there awkwardly, pulling at the ends of her slightly wet shirt, watching as Nathan closed the door. For moment, he stood there, his back to her, his head resting upon the door, which only served to make a grander mess of her nerves. Finally Nathan turned around to face her, but still he did not say a word to her. Haley watched as Nathan seemed to study her completely with his eyes, an approving smirk on his lips. Though on any other occasion it would have made her feel severely self conscious, it actually made her feel more confident. When his eyes finally meet hers, she saw that same dark blue lustful look that she had seen directed at Peyton before. The fact that his eyes held such intensity at the sight of her broke any holds that Haley had, and she acted upon her own feelings.

She walked up to Nathan until there was only and inch separating their bodies. Haley looked up to his face and was ecstatic that Nathan was looking down at her, a smile on his face. She took that as an incentive, her right hand snaking its way up his chest, finally reaching its destination at the back of his hot neck. Her left hand went for the collar of his shirt, and as a team collaboration, they? pulled down, bringing Nathan's face against her had expected this kiss to sloppy, like her first kiss had been, but this was much more passionate and enjoyable. Nathan's hands soon settled on her opposite side of her waist, his fingers playing around with the hem of her shirt. Haley gasped as she felt his hot fingers, which had snuck in under her shirt, sprawled against her naked waist line. Nathan took that opportunity to deepen the kiss, pulling Haley deeper into a trance. Haley felt Nathan pick her up off the floor, and she quickly wrapped her legs around his waist, locking her feet at his back. Her left hand clutched his shoulder, while her right hand held onto the back of his head.

Haley felt so entranced in her current actions, that she didn't even feel Nathan move, and didn't notice until Nathan dropped her onto his bed, making the bed slightly groan with the sudden weight. Because of the sudden action, Haley's leg tightened around Nathan's waist, making Nathan fall onto the bed. Luckily he seemed to anticipate it, and didn't fall directly onto Haley, instead balancing himself by placing his hands on either side of her body. In a skillful balancing act, Nathan discarded his shirt, and then lowered his face to Haley; His right hand traveled the length of her side, stopping at her thigh, while his other hand ended up tangled in her hair.

Just as Nathan had moved on from her lips to the baseline of her neck, Haley thought she heard someone knocking at Nathan's door. She dismissed it, thinking it was just the baseline of the music playing downstairs, but the next set of knocks rattled the door, and by the look of frustration on Nathan's face, she knew she had not imagined them.

Nathan stood up and moved a step back, taking her with him. He looked down at her and Haley quickly looked away from him sheepishly, unlocking her legs from around him. He looked towards the open connecting bathroom window, and then back at her, and Haley quickly understood, getting up and scurrying over to the bathroom, closing the door, until there was only a slit of space between the door and the frame.

The sudden rush of noise into the room woke (snapped) Haley out of her daze like a slap to the face. She didn't even try to hear what Nathan was saying, not that it would even be possible for her hear to anything, as the sudden influx of noise was muffling all noises outside the bathroom door. Suddenly her conscious made a reappearance, and started an all out war with her lustful animalistic side, reminding her that this was Nathan that they were dealing with. Her internal battling was soon giving her a tremendous headache and she closed her eyes, massaging her forehead, trying to stop the oncoming headache.

Haley jumped when she felt two hands grab her shoulders. She slowly opened her eyes, having only a second to notice Nathan's face coming closer to her own before she felt his lips on hers again, in a short slow kiss compared to the frenzied ones of just moments ago.

"We'll finish later," Nathan told her with a wink, as he reached behind her and grabbed a shirt from the edge of the sink behind her.

Haley stood there transfixed as he walked out of the bathroom and didn't move until she heard his bedroom door slam shut. Haley quickly turned around, turned on the faucet, splashing a couple of rounds of cold water onto her face. She looked up , staring at herself in the mirror, from her wet red face to her pink swollen lips. Her fingers tenderly touched her lips, and as they came in contact, she felt shocked. Once again her actions came flooding back to her, along with the possible consequences. She rushed out of the bathroom, out of Nathan's room, and straight to Brooke's room down the hall, thankful that nobody seemed to be occupying the top half of the humble home.

She shed her sweaty clothes, and changed into her pajamas, not wanting to go shower in order to avoid running into anyone in the hallway. She grabbed her earplugs, shoving them into her eardrums, muffling out all foreign noises and leaving her alone with her thoughts as she drifted off to sleep.

_TSH TSH TSH TSH TSH TSH TSH TSH TSH TSH_

Haley awoke the next morning to find that the heavy curtains were still shut. This covered most of the room in darkness, but through a small crack between the two curtains, a bit of morning light shone into the room. Haley scrambled off of bed, falling in a heap of body and sheets at the side of her bed. She noticed that she didn't hear the soft rumble of the air-conditioner and knew that that meant that Brooke had left the room. She sat at the edge of her bed and looked over at the digital clock sitting on her nightstand. It took her a moment to realize that the big red lights where shouting that it was 11:30 at her. Haley almost went into a full panic mode, thinking that she had missed a half day of school, when she remembered that it was the weekend. This meant that everyone was at the garage helping out Dan, and Brooke would be downstairs, making lunch for everyone. She quickly drew the heavy curtains and her eyes stung with the sudden overload of day light. She turned around, and as soon as the sting died down, she walked over to her bureau and grabbed her towel, light black sweatpants, a sports bra and a random shirt.

Haley took a long steaming shower, rubbing away all the grim and sweat form the night before. She changed, and was about to go back to her and Brooke's room, but quickly changed plans when she felt her stomach grumble. She walked down the stairs, slipping on her shirt, and quickly felt something sticky on the middle of her shirt. Disgusted, shrugged off the shirt, noticing that she had grabbed the shirt form the night before. Haley thought about running upstairs, and grabbing another shirt, but noticing that there was no one in the kitchen, she threw her shirt on the couch and bounced into the kitchen, her growling belly demanding nutrition.

Haley ran straight for the refrigerator, opening the door with too much energy, making it bang against the wall next to it. She grabbed the can of grinded hazelnut coffee beans and added them into the coffee maker. She started to hum a familiar nursery tune as she began to search the bottom cupboards for a bagel to toast. As she skimmed the cupboards, Haley noticed the cereal, Cookie Crisp, sitting on top of the tall refrigerator and decided that she wanted some to accompany her regular bagel this morning. She tried to stretch her hand and knock the box over, but noticed that the box was open. In order to avoid a disaster, Haley walked over to the opposite corner of the kitchen and grabbed a stool, skipping over to the refrigerator. After climbing onto the stool and retrieving the box of cereal, Haley sat on the stool. Too lazy to retrieve a bowl and some milk, Haley angled the box into her mouth, tilting it so that cereal would not come tumbling on top of her. .

"If it wasn't for yesterday and the sports bra, I'd seriously think you were a guy Hales."

Surprised by the sudden voice, Haley choked on the cereal in her mouth, causing her to drop the box from her hand and spit out the bits she hadn't swallowed. As her coughing fit subsided, Haley looked up, looking to kill whomever it was that had almost caused her death. There stood Nathan, leaning against the door frame that led into the living room, looking like the true greasy monkey he was. Usually, this would make her spiral into one of her many day dreams about cleaning him up but the fact that he had almost caused her death made her anything but lustful.. Wiping off the bits of cereal from the corners of her mouth, Haley glared at Nathan, letting him know that she was not happy with him. As she went to wipe off her hands on her shirt, Haley remembered that she was only wearing a sports bra and sweatpants, cursing her luck.

"Looking for this? Nathan asked her, amusement in his tone.

Haley looked over at him once again, and noticed that he was holding her previously discarded shirt in his hand.

"Hand it over Nathan," Haley growled, not liking the position she was now in, especially after what had happened last night.

"Hmm…no. I really like this view better. Didn't get to see it ye-"

"When did you get here? I didn't hear your car or you come into the house." Haley quickly cut him off, not liking the direction the conversation was headed. She couldn't discuss that with him, not right now, especially not dressed like this. Plus, she had a feeling he was only acting like this because of the way she was dressed, or not dressed for that matter, and that was not the way things were supposed to happen. He was supposed to like her the way she was, not just because she dressed like one of those little race sluts. Haley had been so lost in thought, that she didn't hear Nathan's response.

"What did you say?"

Nathan laughed, which only served to fry more of Haley's nerves.

"I said, Hales," Nathan began, moving closer to her as he talked, "that I volunteered to come check on you, but noticed you were still asleep. I was taking a peaceful nap on the couch until someone slammed the fridge door and I noticed your shirt at my feet."

By the time he finished, Nathan had backed Haley into the counter. Haley looked down, biting her lip, wanting to avoid his gaze at all costs. But it seemed that luck wasn't on her side, as Nathan took her chin in his hands and lifted it towards him, forcing their eyes to meet. Soon Haley's eyes were meet with the gaze that had caused her so much joy the night before, bringing up the same feelings at the moment. Haley didn't even fight it when Nathan's lips descended on her own in the same frenzied motions of the night before.

But it only lasted for a few minutes. A loud beeping sound, signaling that the coffee was ready broke Haley's haze, and she pushed Nathan away from her.

"Nathan, what the hell?" Haley asked, hoping to get some insight on what was going on inside his head.

Nathan tried to pull her closer to him, but Haley placed her hands on his chest, keeping him at a distance,

"Come on Haley, we're just having fun!" Nathan said nonchalantly.

His words hit Haley hard, hurting her so deeply, so quickly. When Nathan tried to pull her closer, her hand raised up to his face, slapping him with all the force she could muster before pushing him away.

"I'm not one of your little sluts, Nathan! Go find someone else to have fun with. Fucking dick! I hate you so much!" Haley screamed as she ran out the back door and down the small steps. She soon felt the hot sun on her exposed skin, running into the car garage. She quickly noticed a 'DAN'S GARAGE' grey hoodie leaning against her mountain bike. She put on the hoodie, and grabbed the bike, pushing off, and pedaling quickly down the road, ignoring Nathan's call when she sailed down the hill and around the corner. She pedaled fast, and found a familiar alleyway, taking it, hoping that if Nathan was following her, she would be able to lose him by taking small roads.

_TSH TSH TSH TSH TSH TSH TSH TSH TSH TSH_

Haley watched as sun's rays skirted along the rolling tremulous waves of the pre-storm ocean. She knew she should get moving if she wanted to make it back before the storm hit, but her anger towards Nathan left her immobile. But an even greater anger, towards herself, left her seething. How could she have been so stupid! Of course he was only acting that way because of the slutty way she was dressing. Stupid Brooke and her advice and make over. Stupid Haley for thinking that Nathan would ever like her, stupid, stupid Haley!

Soon a rolling thunder broke through the slightly windy air. Haley looked up and noticed the dark clouds that were quickly approaching This, and the fact that the wind was quickly picking up, let Haley know that she had underestimated the storm. She quickly stood off, not bothering to dust off the sand from her pants. She ran over to where she had hidden her bike under the secluded boardwalk and carried it until she reached the street next to the boardwalk. Suddenly the rain started to fall harshly upon her, quickly soaking her entirely. Cursing her luck yet again she climbed aboard her sleek mountain bike, kicking off the street, pedaling with all her might back home.

Haley decided to take a deserted road, wanting to avoid any car traffic and a possible accident. The wind picked up even more, making Haley struggle to remain balanced on her bike. A stray plastic bag smacked into her face, forcing her to handle the bike with one hand, trying to pull the bag off her face with the other. Suddenly her face was attacked with two bright lights, disorientating her, and she quickly lost control of her bike. Haley fell onto the side of the road, rolling a bit down the small hill, her clothes catching onto the branches of a bush. When she stopped, Haley grabbed her knee, bringing it closer to her chest. She started to rock and shiver as the rain continue to fall upon her.

Suddenly a hand landed harshly upon her shoulder, forcing Haley to bounce and turn onto her back. Above her was the image of a very wet Nathan, kneeling beside her as he looked at her knee.

'Oh God, I'm hallucinating,' Haley thought as the Nathan image looked up from inspecting her knee and looked at her face. Haley quickly grabbed his head and brought it closer to hers, figuring if she was hallucinating she might as well enjoy it. The image responded back to her actions, and Haley gasped when it broke the kiss after a couple of minutes, and picked her up gently. Haley quickly felt ashamed that she had just kissed some stranger because she was hallucinating Nathan onto them. They quickly reached the top and through the rain Haley could see a black and blue pick-up truck, which looked very similar to the one Dan used at his shop. She was soon ushered onto the passenger seat and the 'Nathan' quickly closed the door and ran around the front of the truck entering in through the driver's seat. Once seated he turned around and grabbed a towel from behind his seat, holding it in his hand while he looked at her.

"What the hell where you thinking Haley? Huh? Riding your fucking bike in this fucking storm. Were you trying to kill yourself? What the fuck is wrong with you?" 'Nathan' screamed at her, and it was then that Haley realized, it wasn't her imagination, and it was Nathan that saved her, it was Nathan she had just kissed in the harsh rain.

"So you're real?" Haley whispered, not answering his question. Haley kept her eyes on the dashboard, refusing to look at him. Suddenly his fingers were on her chin, and they gently moved her face to face his own. Without the hindrance of the rain, Haley could see the conflicting emotions of relief and sadness in his eyes. Without breaking eye contact, Nathan wrapped the warm towel around her, rubbing her arms with it. After a couple of moments of silence, and thunderous roar caused them to break their gaze, and Haley coughed, clearing her throat a bit. She turned away from him, leaning her head against the window pane and keeping her gaze on the blurry outside.

"We need to get you to a hospital." Nathan told her, before starting up the car. As he drove the car down the road, they hit a pothole, making them both jump, and making Haley bang her head against the window as she came down. First, there was an overpowering pain and then there was darkness.

_TSH TSH TSH TSH TSH TSH TSH TSH TSH TSH_

Haley woke up groggily, with a pounding headache and a dry mouth. She slowly opened her eyes, taking in the dimly lit room, the blue bed sheets, the cream curtain surrounding her bed and the patient scrubs she was wearing. She tried to sit up, but the sudden movement made massive pain shoot through her spine, causing her to gasp loudly.

"Haley, don't move, you've got to rest or you're going to hurt yourself more."

Haley looked over to her side, noticing that Nathan was sitting beside her, slumped in an uncomfortable chair, rubbing his eyes. Haley didn't say a word as Nathan pushed himself out of the chair and poured some water from the jug on the bedside table into a clear plastic cup. He moved closer, towering over her, and raising the small cup to her dried lips. Haley parted her lips, Nathan the tipped the cup slightly, the water pouring into her mouth. Haley licked her lips when she was done, and Nathan moved the cup away from her lips placing it on the bedside table.

'I'm sorry. God, I'm so sorry." Nathan told her, taking her right hand in his own and looking her straight in the eyes. When Haley said nothing and just stared at him, Nathan started to speak once again.

"I'm sorry, about this morning. Not the kiss, well kind of that, I shouldn't have just attacked you, but I couldn't help myself. Ever since yesterday, I can't stop thinking about you. Why the fuck did you have to dress up like that….I mean you looked hot, too hot. Fuck! It got my brain started, about how fucking amazing you are, you know, with cars. And you are so fucking smart, and you are always there for me, you're my lucky charm. Then yesterday, with the clothes, and all those guys dancing with you, fuck, it's like this little beast inside of me woke up. And I wanted you for myself. I wanted to blame it on the beer, but then when I came back, and you weren't there, and I was just thinking by myself, you just wouldn't leave my head. I thought everything would be fine in the morning, but you have to come downstairs in some fucking bra and sweatpants, and the beast is back. I couldn't control myself, and then I had to say that stupid comment. I can't tell you what I feel, cause I don't fucking know, but when I saw you today, falling off your bike and rolling down, so broken, it hurt me so much. Fuck, now I'm rambling like you."

Haley sat there, just looking at him, since she couldn't move to freely. She sat there, listening to him, watching his face as he explained, and her eyes began to water. He liked her, thought about her, was scared to lose her.

"Fuck, now I've made you cry. I'm sorry, fuck!"

A smile broke upon her face and she used the hand that was in his hand to bring him closer to her, lifting her head slightly, placing a soft kiss on his lips. She broke the kiss, resting her head against the hard pillow, her eyes closed.

"Does this mean I'm forgiven?"

Haley slowly opened her eyes and looked over at him, smiling. She slowly nodded her head, and Nathan closed the distance between them once again, kissing her with the same passion they had shared that morning. When she tried to raise her other hand to his neck, pain shot once again through her spine, making her jerk and moan painfully, breaking the kiss.

"I'll go get the nurse for you." Nathan told her softly, planting a soft kiss against her lips, and running out of the room.

After the nurses visited her, adjusting her pain medication, the rest of the gang came in pairs of two, visiting her, divided between reprimanding her for being so stupid and showing their happiness for her being okay.

_TSH TSH TSH TSH TSH TSH TSH TSH TSH TSH_

_4 months later_

Halloween 1996

Los Angeles, California

Haley leaned against the wall of the living room, staring intently at a bunch of race sluts who were pawing at Nathan as he leaned against the side of the arch that lead into the supposed dining room, which was now filled with a ping pong table, where a bunch of rowdy racers where playing a round of beer pong. Her anger rose when she noticed that Nathan just stood there, basking in their attention and looking as if he loved every minute of it. Angrily, she chugged the entire contents of her current cup, quickly exchanging her cup for someone else's as they walked past her. This was getting out of control.

After two days in the hospital, Haley had been discharged with one bruised knee, a sprained ankle, a sprained wrist, an assortment of cuts and bruises, and no longer at risk for pneumonia. Brooke tended to her like a mama hawk, never once leaving her side, which made it very hard for her to try and talk to Nathan. About a week after the incident, Brooke had to go shopping, and told Haley that one of the boys was coming over to her watch.

That boy had been Nathan, and they had finally had the time alone that Haley had desired for so long. After a light make out session, Haley questioned Nathan about their relationship. Nathan confessed to Haley that he would love for her to be his girlfriend, but was worried about how the gang would take it, and tension it could create. Haley came up with the brilliant idea that they could be together in private, telling everyone when they thought the time was right. It soon became clear to Haley that it wasn't such a brilliant idea.

The first three weeks were amazing; the thrill of sneaking around made up for the awful feeling that Haley had for having to lie to everyone. Then people started to talk, questioning why big man on campus and street racer Nathan Scott was not dating anyone, and seemingly not hooking up with anyone. Nathan and Haley discussed it, both not ready to tell their friends of their relationship, instead deciding that Nathan would flirt and hang out with girls in public, to satisfy the prying eyes. That was okay with Haley, because she reminded herself that Nathan was hers and that all their efforts were for nothing.

Then the girls started getting riskier and Haley started to get angrier. Even when she brought this to Nathan's attention he would calm her down, reminding her that she was the one he wanted, not them. Especially on the nights that Haley would sneak into his room, whenever she was angry at the race skanks, Nathan would just comment on how her being angry turned him on, distracting her anger with his kisses.

Haley took her eyes off of Nathan as she swung her head back, chugging the entire contents of the cup all at once. She gasped as the alcohol burned through her and her body shook as it tried to rid itself of the burning sensation. When her gaze fell back on Nathan, the sight before her made her so mad that she punched the window beside her, the loud music blasting through the house muffling the sound of the breaking window. Nathan and one of the race-sluts where connected at the lips in a heated kiss. The blonde girl's hands were gripping Nathan's shoulder as Nathan hands traveled to her back.

Hot tears started to build up in Haley's eyes and she quickly took off upstairs, unaware of a pair of brown eyes following her every move

_TSH TSH TSH TSH TSH TSH TSH TSH TSH TSH_

Haley wrapped the towel around her hand, placing the tweezers down on the sink. She turned off the faucet, and looked at herself in the mirror. Her makeup was messed up, most of it running down her face in rivers, mixing in with her salty tears. Turning on the hot water once again, Haley splashed her face, rubbing away all the make-up that she could, causing her face to become even redder. She quickly exited the bathroom, running off to her and Brooke's room, hoping that there was no one in there at the moment. The last thing she wanted was to find was a horny couple making out on her bed and get reminded of what Nathan was doing downstairs.

She opened the door and saw that there was in fact someone inside.

"Wanna tell me what the hell is going on between you and Nathan?"

**_Now you have read it. If your enjoyed it, please review. And even if you didn't, tell me why._**

**_Thanks and have a wonderful day._**

**_Oh, have I replied back to all those that have reviewed?? If not, you get an extra special cookie!! lol.  
_**


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